Generally, shopping malls sell gift cards, in the form of debit cards, in various amounts, such as $10, $25, $50, to customers. To purchase such a gift card, the customer can go to the mall, pay the amount to be credited to the card plus a service fee (e.g., $2) and the mall credits the purchased amount (e.g., $25) onto the gift card. The mall then stuffs the gift card into a cardholder or carrier and hands the cardholder to the customer. The customer can then give the cardholder, holding the gift debit card, to another person as a gift. The recipient of the gift debit card can spend the money credited on the debit card just like an ordinary debit card, i.e., anywhere debit cards of that issuer are accepted.
Presently, when the mall provides the credited debit card to the customer, they place it in a cardholder which includes the terms and conditions which apply to the debit card. For example, a debit card cardholder is one made of cardboard-like paper and has the terms and conditions printed on both sides, filling up all of one side and half of the other side. On the front side of the cardholder, at the top, is a separate sleeve which holds the debit card. The remaining portion of the front side is filled with mostly a statement of the terms and conditions which control and govern the use of the card and the legal agreement between the issuer of the card, such as the mall, and the customer, usually referred to as cardholder agreement. On the back side of the cardholder are the terms and conditions which could not be fitted on the front side. Because the terms and conditions language is lengthy, the cardholder has to be folded up like an accordion or highway map until it forms a convenient package that can fit into the pocket or wallet of the consumer. On a busy day at a mall when dozens of these gift debit cards are being sold, it is too slow and difficult to get these long cardboard holders folded up correctly and given to customers. The folding also creates usability concerns for the consumer because it is difficult to refold the cardholder in the proper way once it is unfolded.
In another example, a cardholder has a front cover and a back cover. The inside of the front cover forms a sleeve for holding a gift card such as a gift debit card. This product is stitched down the middle like a book such that pages are included in the cardholder. This cardholder is costly and time consuming to make because of the need for multiple sheets, one for the cover and one for the pages. The stitching is also labor intensive.
It is believed that the terms and conditions should be physically attached to the sleeve holding the debit card to comply with legal requirements. In other words, it is believed that, in order to make sure that the terms and conditions are binding on the customer, the issuer makes sure that the terms and conditions are physically attached to the sleeve holding the debit card. Accordingly, there is a need for a cardholder that is easy and inexpensive to make and conveniently provides the terms and conditions of the cardholder agreement.